1.1 Background

Many developing countries in Asia still rely on wood
energy. It is estimated that more than half of the total energy consumption in many Asian
countries is accounted for by wood energy. However, there is no precise information on a
region-wide level and existing information are scattered in national agencies. Thus, there
is a need to organize and analyze available information to serve as a basis for energy
policy.

The present study is part of the regional Wood Energy Today for Tomorrow
(WETT) studies undertaken by the Wood Energy Programme (WEP). The results of these studies
will serve as inputs to other FAO activities and studies including Wood Energy Information
System (WEIS), the Global Fibre Supply Study (GFSS), and the Asia-Pacific Forestry Outlook
Study.

1.2 Objectives of the study

The two main objectives of the study are: (a) to assess
past and present woodfuel consumption and production from forests and non-forest lands and
analyse the future contribution of wood to energy in Asian countries; and (b) to present
an overview of the different approaches, definitions, units and factors used by different
agencies during the collection, storage, and presentation of data and information on wood
energy.

The second objective is further divided into the following specific
objectives:

To present an overview of on total wood energy use in 16 Asian countries
(i.e., the member countries of FAOs Regional Wood Energy development Programme in
Asia) based on literature survey and on personal communication.

To present various data sources in comparable format, including

Time series of total consumption

Disaggregation of wood energy into the main consuming

To compare the main characteristics of these databases

To make recommendations for future improvement of the existing wood
energy databases.

1.3 Scope of the study

The study consists of the following tasks:

Collection and analysis of wood energy data available in the databases
of FAO, UN, and AIT and presentation of the information in the same format in order to
facilitate comparison. The format will follow that used for the WETT study for Europe and
the OECD countries.

On the basis of the results of the first task, suggesting a "best
estimate" of past and present consumption, production, and trade of woodfuels for all
the countries according to main category of users (residential, commercial, and
industrial) and areas (rural and urban) and undertaking a comparative analysis of woodfuel
contribution with other sources of energy.

Description of how the different agencies organize their collection,
collation, and presentation of wood energy data, including an overview of the main
characteristics, approaches, terminologies and definitions, parameters, conversion
factors, and units used. This task also includes a detailed description and comparison of
the databases consulted and recommendations for future improvement of wood energy database
in the region.

Analysis of the past and present role of wood energy in Asian countries
and its interrelations with the forest and energy sectors taking into account supply
sources, trade, and utilization of woodfuels.

Following the analysis in the preceding task, analysis of the future
role of wood energy, including (i) identification and analysis of the factors affecting
the utilization, trade, and production of woodfuels, and (ii) analysis of scenarios of
wood energy use.

Taking into consideration the limitation on data and information
available on woodfuel supply sources, analysis of implications for forests, woodlands, and
trees of the present and projected woodfuel consumption and production patterns.

The study will cover the 16-member countries of the Regional Wood Energy
Development Programme for Asia (RWEDP), which are divided into three groups. South Asia
includes Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, which are
also the members of South Asian Association for Regional Co-operation (SAARC). South
East Asia comprises Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines,
Thailand and Vietnam. These seven countries, excluding Cambodia, are also the members of
Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN)1, along with
Singapore and Brunei. China is treated as a separate group for the purpose of this
study.

1.4 Methodology

In order to meet the above mentioned objectives the
following steps were undertaken.

Literature survey on the available wood energy database for Asian
countries

Corresponding with various institutions, organizations, and individuals
to explore existing wood energy databases for Asian countries

Presenting the available wood energy databases in similar formats in
order to facilitate their comparison

Evaluating the available databases on wood energy for Asia identifying
their merits and demerits

1.5 Overview of the report

Chapter 2 surveys three wood energy databases for Asia. The
wood energy databases are described in terms of their methodology, definitions,
measurements, scope. This chapter also discusses how the statistics available from these
databases are tabulated in similar format to facilitate their comparison. The resulting
tables, however, are presented in Appendix 1.

Chapter 3 analyzes the past and present role of wood energy based largely
on the information presented in the CEERD/AIT database. This database is preferred over
the two others because more information are available at the national level, although
information are not adequately available for all countries under study. This chapter
discusses different aspects of wood energy consumption patterns, including wood energy
flow and wood energy supply, but the emphasis is on household and non-household
rural/urban fuelwood consumption.

Chapter 4 examines the future role of wood energy by discussing the macro
and micro factors affecting wood energy use. Towards the end of this chapter, three
scenarios are developed that describe possible (not necessarily feasible) wood energy
futures. Separate fuelwood consumption projections are made in each scenario, which are
also compared with other existing projections to further test their validity.

Chapter 5 concludes the report by drawing the implications of the future
role of wood energy for the forestry sector. Recommendations are also made with regards to
the issues related to wood energy data.

_______________1 Myanmar and Laos have been
recently acepted as members in the group. Cambodia was also expected to get a membership
along with Myanmar and Laos earlier, but the decision on Cambodia was delayed due to
recent political development in the country.